Am I the only one who discovered bricking isn't fun?

[NTBugtraq]

So I was going to lay out the bricks in my arch today and figure out which had to be cut and how...thinking that the majority of bricks would be whole bricks and only a few needed to be cut in any way. Instead, it turns out there are very few full bricks, and virtually all need to be cut, grinded, or touched in some way in order to fit. Its a CDL 18" x 60". The instructions from CDL are near useless (more of list of things not to do, then any suggestion as to how to get it done), and when I called the dealer I bought it from he said; "Well, there's really no right way, there are many ways to get it done." My response was; "Well, couldn't you at least give me a diagram or picture of ONE way?" Nope...

When I asked him if I could work with the fire cement in cold weather, he said I was likely only going to have to work with it for less than an hour. Now it seems it will take me many hours to get the bricks cut, and if I don't label them (a line of spray paint across the layout once their cut...or something) it could take far more than an hour working with the cement...sigh.

I wish there weren't so many angles in the arch, and that they'd considered the standard size of bricks when constructing it...

Cheers,
Russ

[sjdoyon]

Russ,

You're not alone in this experience. Our evaporator was dropped off (first week of December) and we had a local brick mason install the bricks. Due to the cold weather, cement did not cure correctly. Had to re-brick half of the evaporator the following summer. If we ever upgrade, we're going to make sure the next evaporator is bricked. We've been told Lapierre bricks their evaporators for customers.

Good luck.

[Parker]

I would suggest cutting your bricks and laying them in there dry, lable them then remove, re assemble with cement,,keep a little heated for a day,,a mr. Heater works well.

[J. hutchins]

The cdl website has a good video on how to do it. Click on the video button.

[K.I. Joe]

X2 on the video

[Sullydog]

I share your pain the first time we bricked a 5x12. What a pain. I am not a mason but here are some tips that worked for us the Second time we bricked it because the first time failed quickly. Cut and dry fit all brick. Number them with a marker while in place. Take several pics with your cell phone. Try to get a heater to have bricks and cement a descent temp when installing them. Slightly wet the bricks when you mortar the joints. Cover the evaporator with a tarp or something and keep it warm for a few days ....small electric heater from lowes $40. The most important thing was build several small fires in the evaporator to cure the mortar and brick. After bricking it the second time we sold it and when we removed the brick we needed to smash some of it out with hammers.....much better than the first time. Don't forget fireboard behind the brick. Good luck

[Marc Duclos]

Hi Russ, If you haven't done any thing to the brick yet good. You have a chance to get it done good enough to use. Get your blanket in place. If it keeps slipping down squirt some liquid nail hear and there on the metal then press the ceramic blanket to it.

If your using fire brick they come 9"x4"x either 2.3/8" or 1,3/8. It don't mater.4 goes into 60 evenly and 9 goes into 18 evenly. start at the back of the deepest point and work your way to the doer. you don't have to make a pattern. Don't worry about the cement. if your only going to have a freken hot fire just get some plastic party cups red or blue ones and use a putty knife and whip up a little at a time and slather it on the edges of the brick an jam them together one at a time.

www.duclosmasonry.com

[NTBugtraq]

That video is near useless. Sorry, I watched the 27 minutes and came up with 18 critiques...not the least of which it has nothing to do with my Drop Flue purchase...all it really shows is, if you know what you're doing, you can do it...and the idiot demonstrator can't even keep his terms consistent. If you bricked your first arch from that video, I have to believe you worked with stone before. I have never worked with stone, and if we put aside the fact that my CDL registered distributor told me I DID NOT need insulation board/blanket or Zonalite, then you will realize I can't follow the video.

No offense, and thanks for the link, but if I followed it I wouldn't be able to ever remove my grates or get my drop flue pan in there...

Cheers,
Russ

[NTBugtraq]

Marc,

My distributor told me I needed no blanket, so I have brick and fire cement, nothing else. I did specifically ask if I needed it, and the answer was they thought it was useless once compressed by the brick. My bricks are 4.5, not 4".

I've decided, I am going to cut some stones, maybe not as many as would be done in a video done by a manufacturer in a heated warehouse. We don't use evaporators there, do we? I am not trying to make the Sistine Chapel for crying out loud. I don't really care what color my SS turns to, as long as it doesn't melt...I don't want people to admire my evap, only my syrup...sheesh.

I thought Atkinson's was a reputable dealer with eons of experience...right now, IMO, they're not living up to the credibility others suggested. My setup this season is temporary, but not using cement I can unbrick after the season, move the shack and evap, and rebrick with cement...and a proper mason.

Cheers,
Russ

[maple flats]

I think you're getting too worked up about bricking. If using ceramic blanket behind the brick, install that first. Then just have the bricks above 40 degrees but not hot. using a trowel or even a putty knife, apply a thin layer of refractory cement (about 1/4-3/8" is good) to the edges and just a dab to the back and set it in place, tap to set it to the corner you're starting at and then do another. As you set that in place, tap it towards the previous one(s). When you get to where you need to cut, use a cement blade on an old circular saw, keep the brick under water for an hour or more to get it damp, put on a face mask and use ear and eye protection and just score it about 1/4-3/8" deep, flip it over and repeat. Then use a cement chisel, lay it on a solid surface and hit it in the grove using a hammer and the chisel. I do mine with just the chisel and no sawing, but that takes practice. Another way is to just score it with a carbide scoring tool (lowes and Home Depot sell them, just a sturdy handle with 2 carbide edges, about 1/8" thick.
Once it is roughly cut, you may need to "clean it up". This is best done with a masonry hammer (square head on one end and a roughly 1" wide rather blunt edge on the other. Hold the brick in your hand and using the latter, chip away until that brick will fit in the intended space. Apply the refractory and tap it into place. Then take the trowel or putty knife and fill in the voids with refractory. Work this way all around the first layer, then start the next. continue until done. If you are mixing from powder to make the refractory, get it damp enough to work easily, while still stif enough to hold shape when you apply it to the brick. If you are using premixed, it generally comes the correct consistency, if it dries a little too much read the container to see if it can be thinned with water (or use what they say). Once the bricking is done (or just done for that time) it must not freeze. You must have some heat source. Cover the arch with a piece of plywood or anything the hold the warmth and just put a incandescent light in the firebox. That will do fine.
When the bricking is fully done, you must cure it slowly. Curing too fast has ruined many a job. Just start a very small fire, make sure you have sap or a little water in the pan. Keep the fire real small for at least 2 hours, then let it get slightly bigger. It will be best done in about 4 or 5 stages from very small to full bore for about 2 hrs each.
On the cuts, they don't need to be perfect, and save every piece for filling voids. Then get the voids filled about 1/2 deep with refractory, and then push appropriately sized pieces into the space to help fill bigger spaces, but make sure there is refractory on all sides, and don't leave pieces in dry contact with each other. The more you do the filling this way, the less costly refractory you will need to buy.
This isn't rocket science, just get started and work your way up.
Good luck!

[Burnt sap]

No Sir you are correct it is not fun! I have 150 in mine took me two days to line.